Carbondale Reporter

There were 642 Hispanic students enrolled in Jackson County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 8.1% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 9.7% of the 6,586 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the third most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 19 schools in Jackson County, Unity Point Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 87 students.

As of the 2023-24 school year, Illinois public schools enrolled approximately 1.85 million students across nearly 4,000 schools. There was roughly one teacher for every 15 students, slightly better than the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting the state's demographic changes. Between the 2019–20 and 2022–23 school years, Illinois public school enrollment declined from approximately 1.98 million to 1.85 million students, a decrease of about 127,000 students or 6.4%. This decline is significantly higher than the typical annual decreases of 0.5% to 1.5% observed in the preceding years, reflecting broader demographic shifts within the state.

School name	% of Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Unity Point Elementary School	13.4%	650
Carbondale Community High School	9.1%	947
Trico Elementary School	18.3%	453
Parrish Elementary School	10.1%	456
Murphysboro High School	7.8%	577
Carbondale Middle School	9.9%	445
Thomas Elementary School	11.6%	362
General John A. Logan Attendence Centre	10.2%	391
Carruthers Elementary School	9%	413
Lewis School	12%	299
Trico Senior High School	13.2%	219
Murphysboro Middle School	6.3%	414
Trico Junior High School	13.9%	180
Giant City Elementary School	6.8%	236
DeSoto Elementary School	0%	193
Elverado High School	0%	108
Elverado Intermediate School	0%	70
Elverado Junior High School	0%	67
Elverado Primary School	0%	106